


secret truths

by flowersandsunshine



Category: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, coravis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-10 07:57:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7836565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowersandsunshine/pseuds/flowersandsunshine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lasaraleen is getting married, and she's trying to set Aravis up at her wedding. So Aravis begs Cor to go with her - and to pretend to be her boyfriend. Fake Dating AU. Modern Era.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi y'all! so i've been thinking about this for a while and i just got struck with inspiration. it's not over - i will have one or two chapters more. i hope y'all enjoy it.

Cor had known Aravis for years. He had been there when she ran away from home, when she took up horseback riding, when she had gotten her first boyfriend, when she punched her first boyfriend (and, subsequently, broke up with him), when she graduated high school, and when she had gotten into the same university as he did. 

And Cor had the pleasure of getting into fights with Aravis through all of that, as well.

He never meant to fight her. But when her family moved to England and she showed up at his school that first day, she laughed at his nickname, and he immediately began arguing with her, and ever since then, he didn’t think they ever had a single complete conversation without an argument as a result.

\---

“Shasta?” Aravis laughed. “What kind of a name is Shasta?”

“It’s not my real name,” Cor snapped back. “Besides, what kind of a name is Aravis?”

“A good one. Unlike yours.” Aravis smirked. “What is your real name?”

“Cor,” he said quickly, proudly. Once he had found his father and had learned what his real name was, he was always quick to share it.

Aravis’s mouth twitched and she giggled. “Cor?”

“A very good name,” he snapped back. “Unlike yours.”

Aravis frowned, upset to hear her words in his mouth. “Oh, fine, you can say that, but we can both agree that Cor is a stupid name.”

Cor instantly flared up, ready to tell her how wrong she was.

Argument number one.

\---

“You… dyed your hair purple?” Cor asked incredulously.

Aravis glared at him. “Obviously.”

“Why?” he asked. “Why would you do that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she challenged him.

“Because” – it’s beautiful, he finished inside his head. “It doesn’t look good on you.”

“I’ll have you know, this is a great color for me,” Aravis immediately yelled.

Argument number forty-eight.

\---

“Did you know that kiwi skins are good for you?” Aravis asked Cor on the last day of summer holidays. 

“What?” Cor asked. “No way.”

“They are. You should try eating a whole kiwi, skin and all. It’s good.”

He shook his head. “You’re just trying to get back at me for the bedspread incident, aren’t you?”

Aravis frowned and shook her head. “No. I’m serious. They’re good for you.”

“Nope. Don’t trust you.”

“Cor!” she exclaimed, sitting up suddenly, grass sticking to her hair and back. “Are you kidding me? Why would I lie to you about this?”

“Now you’re being irrationally angry,” he pointed out, wincing when he remembered that irrational was the last thing Aravis ever wanted to be called.

Argument number three hundred twenty-one.

\---

Corin got off his bed in their small dorm room and bounced on his brother’s. “Cor,” he whined. “Cor, I’m bored.”

“You could do your homework,” Cor answered calmly, reading his annotated version of A Winter’s Tale without looking up.

“Even more boring!” Corin declared. “No, I want something fun to do. Can you think of anything?”

Cor shook his head before glancing at his phone and rolling his eyes.

“What?” Corin asked, his eyes lighting up. “Drama?”

“No, just Aravis,” Cor sighed. “She posted on Twitter—”

“You have her on Twitter alert?” Corin asked, suddenly suspicious.

Cor didn’t notice the gleam in his brother’s eye. “Yeah, I just like knowing what she’s up to. Old habits.”

“What did she say? You gonna fight with her?” Corin asked.

Cor looked at his brother in disbelief for a second. “No, actually, this time, she’s right. It’s an article about intersectional feminism.”

“She would post something like that.” Corin sighed. “I’m still bored.”

“Do your homework,” Cor answered again.

“Now, see, I feel like we’ve gone full circle. Edmund would never make me do my homework,” Corin complained.

“Edmund would make you do all the extra credit, too.”

Corin thought for a moment before nodding. “Fair enough.” He reached over to his bed and pulled out his math textbook. “But if there’s any drama, you tell me.”

“Okay,” Cor laughed. “I’ll let you know.”

His phone buzzed again and he glanced at Aravis’s tweet. 

“@aravistarkheena: What do you do when your friend wants you to bring a date to her wedding? Oh, and she knows the perfect guy – her cousin? Gross.”

Cor frowned for a second before favoriting it and putting his phone down, completely forgetting about it. It was Aravis’s problem, not his.

\---

The first thing Cor saw when he got to his Political Science class was Aravis waving urgently at him. He blinked in surprise before going to take his regular seat beside her. “Hello,” he said slowly, sinking into his chair.

Her eyes were wide and she looked almost… panicked. Cor frowned and reached out his hand before thinking better of it and drawing it away quickly. “What’s going on?”

“I…” Aravis hesitated before drawing herself up, making herself look more confident. “I was wondering if you would perhaps want to go to a wedding with me.”

Cor laughed slightly. “What? Why are you asking me?”

“You saw my tweet,” Aravis said urgently, talking faster as she saw the professor enter the room. “I can’t go with Lasaraleen’s cousin.”

“Oh, my goodness,” Cor exclaimed. “She has a cousin? Is he ridiculous?”

“So ridiculous!” she whispered. “I’ll explain more after. That’s a stupid shirt, by the way.”

Cor glanced down at his pink and orange striped polo and rolled his eyes before settling in to take notes for the lecture.

\---

“Okay,” Aravis said, biting her lip and looking more nervous than Cor had ever seen her before, “so here’s the deal.”

Cor nodded before taking a sip of his coffee. “Yes?”

“Lasaraleen doesn’t want me to be without a date for her wedding.”

“Understandable,” he said.

“And she told me that’s she’s been dying to set me up with her cousin, Alan, for years, but it was never the right time, because I was never single when he was or whatever nonsense she said. I stopped listening as soon as she said Alan.” Aravis sighed. “He is one of the most overbearing, loud, obnoxious people I have ever met. And you’ve met Lasaraleen and my father.”

Cor laughed slightly. “So…”

“So I told Lasaraleen I had a boyfriend,” she said slowly.

“So go with one of the many guys that are always dying for a date,” Cor suggested.

“I kinda… I may have told her that it was you.”

Cor’s mouth dropped open and he put down his coffee cup slowly. “What?”

Aravis shrugged and bit her lip again. “It was reasonable! She believed me!”

“Why me? We’ve never gotten along! Why would she believe that we’re in a relationship?” Cor demanded, his coffee all but forgotten. “In fact, she’s seen us argue plenty of times.”

“Oh, you know.” Aravis colored delicately and played with the ends of her hair, refusing to look at Cor. “She believes it’s all repressed sexual tension.”

Cor just stared at her. 

“Um, so, would you do it?” Aravis finally asked, looking up at him. “It would be a free trip to the country, free lodging, and a weekend of relaxing and laughing at Lasaraleen’s family.”

“While pretending to date you,” Cor added.

“Yes. While pretending to date me.” Aravis met his gaze coolly, having recovered her countenance. “Will you please pretend to date me?”

Cor sat in silence for a while before sighing. “This sounds suspiciously like a horrible rom-com.”

“Except you’re no Ryan Reynolds,” Aravis pointed out.

Cor rolled his eyes. “If we do this, you’re going to have to be nicer to me, you know.”

“Oh, no, she won’t believe that at all,” Aravis said. “No, she’ll think we’re faking if we’re suddenly nice to each other. No, we’ll still… bicker, but more in a… flirtatious way. Do you know what I mean?”

“Oh, god,” Cor groaned, dropping his head on the table. “I guess I’ll do it.”

Aravis suddenly was smiling brightly and clasped Cor’s hand. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don’t know how I’ll repay you.”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Cor said, looking up at her for a moment. She looked happier than he could remember seeing her.

“You haven’t met Alan,” Aravis responded, a grin on her face. “But really. Thank you.”

He sat up slowly and squeezed her hand. “You’re very welcome.”

They sat in silence for a moment, Aravis shining like the sun and Cor dumbfounded, before Aravis cleared her throat and reached for her coffee. “So, we’ll leave next weekend.”

“Cool,” Cor answered, nodding briskly. “Let’s do this.”

\---

Corin burst out laughing as soon as Cor told him, throwing himself back on his bed and shouting, “I knew something like this would happen! I knew it! My brother’s an idiot!”

“I don’t think he’s stopped laughing,” Cor told his friend Galdior. “It’s not really that funny, is it?”

Galdior just slapped his hand on Cor’s back and smiled slightly. “Good luck, buddy.”

Bree wasn’t much more help. He just Cor that dating any women was a stupid idea before helping him pack his clothes for the trip and giving him a hug. “Good luck with Aravis,” he said. “You’re gonna need it.”

Corin stood outside his door and smiled like an idiot as Cor left to go get Aravis. “Have fun!” he exclaimed. “Please be careful. Don’t want to get your head cut off or something!”

“Please be quiet,” Cor yelled back. “See you Sunday night.”

And he was off.

\---

The car ride was pleasant. They argued about what type of music they wanted to listen to (Cor wanted indie roadtrip music, Aravis wanted rock), deciding on a mix of their genres, and gazed out the window at the countryside, switching who was driving every hour or so. It was a lovely day – sunny, warm, a few clouds. Cor began to feel like he could breathe again.

But when they passed a sign indicating it was only four more kilometers to the hotel that the wedding was at, Cor felt his chest begin to tighten up again and he sent a worried glance towards Aravis. She was looking out the window and didn’t see him, and somehow that made him feel worse.

Cor adjusted his hands on the steering wheel and told himself it would only be a couple days. Just a couple of days.

\---

The receptionist told them what room they were in and Cor breathed a sigh of relief when they were in the elevator and hadn’t been approached by anybody.

Aravis sent him a curious glance.

“Maybe we can get through this vacation without having to pretend very much,” Cor suggested weakly in response to her look.

She laughed shortly. “Okay, if you think so.” The elevator beeped and they stepped out onto their floor. “Don’t complain to me if your plan backfires, though.”

“I wouldn’t complain to you… I don’t complain,” Cor said staunchly. 

She gave him another look, this time very pointed.

“I complain a little.” Cor shrugged his shoulders.

“A lot,” she muttered. “You complain a lot.”

“Fine.” He sighed. “I complain a lot. But I really do not want to—” He stopped short after opening the hotel room door. “Uh…”

Aravis peeked around him and frowned. “What’s the matter?”

“How is it that this room only has one bed?” Cor asked, surprised. “One bed, two chairs, a dresser, and a desk. That’s it.”

Aravis frowned and pushed past him into the room. “There’s a note. It says, ‘To Coravis’. Is that us?”

“Is that a ship name?” Cor asked, aghast.

She ripped open the envelope. “Okay. ‘To Coravis. I hope you two enjoy the lovely hotel room. I hope to see you two soon! I want to hear all about how you got together. My husband-to-be (oh, I love calling him my husband! Just wait, Aravis, until you can say that about Cor/Shasta!) is looking forward to meeting you both as well. Wear something cute to dinner tonight in the lobby! We’ll be dining with my family (Mother, Father, Uncle Patkin, Alan). Eight pm sharp! Don’t be late!!!’ It’s from Lasaraleen.”

“I’m so surprised,” Cor said wryly. “It definitely didn’t sound like something she’d write.”

“Sh,” Aravis said absent-mindedly. “Alright. So… we should talk strategy.”

“Whoa,” Cor protested. “We just got here.”

Aravis shook the note in her hand aggressively. “Alan will be there! Alan! We have to be able to convince Lasaraleen that this is for real, otherwise she will know something is up and I will be doomed to suffer Alan for the weekend.”

“At least it would only be two days?” he suggested, looking at her in time to dodge the pillow being thrown at his head.

“And every single time I ever came back to visit my family, she would be waiting, Alan in tow. No thank you.” Aravis sat on the bed with a sigh. “How did we get together?” she asked quietly.

Cor raised his eyebrows at her sudden change in tone before sitting next to her. “Obviously, you woke up one day and realized I was the most handsome guy you had ever seen and just couldn’t stop thinking about me.”

Aravis laughed and shook her head. “Even if I did say that, and Lasaraleen would find it very romantic, she already knows I think Corin is more attractive.” Her eyes widened as she realized what she had said, but it was too late for her to take it back.

Cor smirked. “You changed your mind.”

“Shut up. No. Okay.” Aravis thought for a moment. “We were all hanging out at school, studying, and you and I decided to stay later to work on our political science homework, and then suddenly we realized that we couldn’t… um… we couldn’t live without each other,” she ended lamely, refusing to look at him.

“But… we actually did that. Besides the last part,” he amended.

“Yeah, so it’s believable,” Aravis muttered. “If we already did stay up late doing homework together, our friends can corroborate that.”

Cor sighed. “Okay. I still like my idea better, but okay. We’ll go with it.”

Aravis looked at him slowly. “Okay. Here’s the thing.”

Cor raised his eyebrows and stared down at her.

“Uh…” She bit her lip. “Um…”

“Come on, say it.” Cor smiled encouragingly. “I’ve never known you to be scared to say anything in your whole life. It’ll be fine.”

“She’s going to want us to kiss, you know,” Aravis said all of a sudden.

Cor blinked, surprised. “Huh. Okay. I figured as much. I mean, it’s Lasaraleen. She’s a very big romantic. Also, I honestly don’t think she’ll believe we’re together unless we made a show of it.”

“A show? I was just thinking like, maybe, a small peck. Maybe.” Aravis was turning a very funny color.

“You know her.” Cor shrugged. “You decide.”

Aravis lay down and closed her eyes for a few minutes. Cor waited in silence, glancing around the room. It really was a very nice hotel. Lovely pictures on the walls, some flowers on the desk, a directory to many of the restaurants in the area…

“Okay.” Aravis’s voice ripped him out of his musings. “Make a show.”

Cor nodded. “It’s not like this is either of our’s first kiss, you know?” he added.

“Right…” Aravis said slowly. “Right, definitely.”

There was an awkward silence for a while before Cor tentatively spoke up. “Will this be your first kiss?”

She sighed. “I mean…”

“Oh, by the Lion’s mane,” Cor said, suddenly shocked. “You’ve dated so many people!”

“One date with each of them!” she protested. “Never enough to actually kiss them.”

“Why not?” he asked. 

“There was just… there was something wrong with all of them!” Aravis exclaimed, standing up suddenly. “I don’t know! How many girls have you kissed?”

“Two,” Cor responded. 

“Well, I haven’t had that chance. And I’m cool with this whole situation, obviously. But I’d rather not get teased about having never been kissed before. And Lasaraleen cannot, absolutely cannot know I’ve never been kissed.” Aravis put her hands on her hips and stared down at him. “Got it?”

He nodded slowly. “Got it.”

“Goodness.” She frowned, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. “It’s so hot in here. Don’t you agree?”

“Sure.” Cor stood suddenly. “I’m going to take a short walk. Around the hotel. Okay?”

“Okay.” Aravis looked almost relieved that he was going. “Have fun.”

He nodded before walking out of the room without looking back at her.

\---

“So here’s the thing,” Cor said, bursting back into the room after the walk did not help him clear his head, “I think we should practice.”

Aravis looked up in surprise, putting down her book carefully. “Practice what?”

“Kissing,” he said, suddenly losing most of his confidence.

She stared at him for a long time, eyes wide. She had the look on her face that usually meant she was about to start an argument – big eyes, mouth slightly open, stiff neck. 

“If you think it’s stupid—”

“No,” Aravis cut in. “I agree.”

His eyes widened. “You agree?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I don’t want to look ridiculous in front of Lasaraleen. So…” She stood up. “I guess you should kiss me.”

Cor blinked a couple of times, trying to make sure he heard her correctly, before crossing the room and gently placing his hand on the back of her neck. He looked at her for a moment, and when she nodded her permission, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers, one second, two, three, and pulled away.

Aravis kept her eyes closed for a second before looking up at him. “Was that it? Is that what everyone’s been making such a fuss about for all these years? Because that wasn’t so great, if I may say so myself.”

Cor’s mouth dropped open and he removed his hand from the back of her neck. “What? That was actually a pretty decent kiss. I just didn’t think you would want to do too much right now.”

“Why wouldn’t I? Wasn’t I the one who said we had to make a show of it?” she demanded.

“No, I was the one who said that. You agreed after we argued for a while,” Cor said.

Her eyes flashed. “Well, either way, that won’t convince her of anything. So you’re holding back on me and I don’t appreciate—”

Cor cut her off by kissing her again, mid-sentence, cupping her face with both her hands and catching her with her mouth open. 

Aravis made a surprised “oh!” sound in the back of her throat but eventually got caught up in the kiss, her hands coming up around his neck and into his hair, getting more enthusiastic about how she kissed him—

Cor pulled away and smiled when he saw the dazed look on her face and her hair, usually perfect, now disheveled. “How was that?”

She stared at him for a moment before punching him in the arm and taking a step away. “Great. That should convince her.”

Cor nodded. “Yeah. I’m probably going to read now.”

“Me, too,” she said, keeping her chin level and her stare steady.

He smirked without thinking about it and lay down on the bed, grabbing his book and starting to read. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aravis sit down and pick up her own book.

(As much as he would like to admit he wasn’t affected by what had just transpired between them, Cor’s heart was pounding and he couldn’t focus on the plot of the book, due to the growing feeling of warmth spreading throughout his chest. 

By the Lion’s mane, he liked this girl.)


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings deepen. What more to say?

“Alright,” Cor said, coming into the room a few hours later. “Dinner is at eight, and then we have the rest of the evening free.”

“Cool,” Aravis said quietly, looking up from her book. “I’ll start getting ready soon.”

“Okay,” he said, sitting on the bed, lying down and staring at the ceiling. “We’re supposed to be semi-casual?”

“That’s what the invitation said,” Aravis said.

“I don’t even know what that means,” Cor complained.

Aravis put down her book and folded her hands, smiling at him. “Well, I’m not surprised at all.”

He glanced over at her quickly. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, just that you didn’t really have the upbringing that was necessary to really know what semi-casual means,” she said. “You know? Being in foster care and then being found by Lune when you’re a teenager doesn’t really make for a good understanding of the upper class life.”

Cor closed his eyes and counted to ten. “I don’t think you have to be rich to know what semi-casual means. I think it’s just what you learn as you grow up.”

“You’re only saying that because you didn’t grow up rich.” Aravis just kept smiling at him. “Which, of course, sucked for you. I’m sure Corin would know what semi-casual meant.”

“Oh, my god, please just tell me what I should wear,” Cor said. “Why do we have to argue about every little thing?”

“Hm.” Aravis considered. “Basically you could just wear slacks and a button-up shirt, no tie.” She paused. “We don’t fight about everything.”

“Yeah we do,” Cor said. “You take the tiniest thing and just blow it out of proportion.” 

“I do not! If anyone does, you do,” Aravis said. “You always take whatever I say and twist it to fit your own idea of the world.”

Cor sighed. “We’re arguing right now.”

“Sorry,” Aravis said after a moment. “I don’t mean to. You’re just so easy to argue with.”

“Let’s just get ready for dinner,” Cor said, standing and going to find an outfit.

\---

“Aravis,” Cor groaned, knocking on the bathroom door. “Come on, you’ve been in there forever. Open up. What’s taking so long?”

Aravis opened the door and glared at him. “Fine. I’m done. Your turn in the bathroom.”

Cor swallowed hard as he took in Aravis’s look. “Uh, wow, hi, you look great.” 

(Great didn’t even begin to cover it – her hair was curled gently and she had put on makeup, her midnight blue dress hitting just at her knee – she looked beautiful.)

“Thanks.” Aravis smiled. “I like your outfit. Is that a new shirt?”

Cor glanced at his light blue button-up. “Yeah,” he admitted. “It is.”

“Cool.” She kept smiling at him for a moment longer than seemed necessary before breaking her gaze. “Alright, your turn in there.”

Cor nodded, looking down at the ground. “Okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Aravis said, stepping out of the way.

Cor stepped into the bathroom and shut the door.

\---

Cor and Aravis stood outside the restaurant everyone was eating at. 

Aravis sighed. “You ready?”

“Are you not excited?” Cor asked. 

“You know, I do love Lasaraleen, as she was a good friend to me when I was going through a hard period in my life,” Aravis said quietly. “But she’s very overwhelming and sometimes even brings up things from my past that I don’t really want to think about.”

Cor looked at her for a while before extending his hand. 

Aravis looked up at him curiously. 

“Let’s do this, girlfriend,” Cor said softly, smiling at her.

She took his hand tentatively. “Alright. Here we go.”

They walked in through the front doors together. Upon entering, an usher asked for their names before leading them to a table. Cor pulled out Aravis’s chair, helped her sit, and then sat down himself.

He rubbed his hands together nervously. “I don’t see anyone I know.”

“I see loads of people I know,” Aravis said through gritted teeth. “And in the Venn diagram of who I know and who I hate, it’s almost a perfect circle.” She glanced at the place cards next to their chairs. “Oh, Elisa. She’s kind. At least she’s sitting next to us.”

“Small favors,” Cor muttered in her ear.

Aravis bit down a laugh, her eyes flashing as she looked up at him.

Cor smiled at her before looking at the small menu in front of him. “What should we eat?”

\---

Cor met a lot of people that night. He met so many, he didn’t know any of their names – except for two of them. Lasaraleen, of course, he had known for quite a while, and she was just as exuberant and overwhelming as she always had been. That was nothing new.

Alan, however, was interesting. Lasaraleen, for all her faults, really did know how to set people up together. He and Aravis would be perfect for each other, Cor thought as they chatted together. 

“I’m a teacher,” Alan said, smiling easily. “I just really want to be there for kids, you know? Teachers are so important.” 

Cor nodded.

(Aravis thinks the same thing.)

Cor frowned slightly. “What’s your favorite movie?”

Alan didn’t even seemed surprised by the abrupt change in subject. “I really like a lot of different movies. It’s hard to choose. Maybe… Maybe ‘Clue’? Or maybe, well, don’t tell anyone I told you this, but maybe ‘Mean Girls’. It’s a fantastic movie.” He grinned.

Cor nodded slowly. “Those are both good movies.” Aravis liked them both.

The entire conversation went that way. Cor kept asking him questions, and each time, he was frighteningly similar to Aravis, and yet so calm and non-argumentative. 

They were perfect together. 

(It made him feel vaguely annoyed. Here was this great dude who Cor was sure he could be good friends with, but all he could do was be annoyed with him.)

Aravis slid into her seat and gripped Cor’s hand on top of the table. “Hey,” she said, smiling at them. “What’s going on?”

Cor smiled tightly at her. “Just talking.”

“Okay…” Aravis said. 

“I’m going to go get some more water,” Cor said. He squeezed Aravis’s hand, briefly, before getting up quickly and striding away without another word. He shook his head, attempting to clear it, before going to the drink table and downing a whole cup of water in one go. 

\---

“Hey,” Aravis snapped, grabbing Cor’s elbow.

He winced and turned around slowly. “Hey! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“No, you’ve been avoiding me,” she said. “I’ve been running around, trying to find the guy I’m supposed to be showing off as my boyfriend, and you’ve been ducking around corners, hiding under tables, I don’t know, avoiding me, and… Why? Just why?”

“I just,” Cor sighed, “I, I just feel ridiculous. Why are we doing this?”

“What?” Aravis asked. “What do you mean, why are we doing this? We discussed this in great detail before.” She lowered her voice. “Why are you freaking out now? We still have the wedding to get through.”

“God, I just….” Cor ran a hand through his hair.

“Dude,” Aravis said, ripping his hand out of his hair. “You’ve already messed it up enough.”

“I just think… You know, Alan is a great guy. What would be so horrible about dating him? Why did you set all this up with me?”

Aravis frowned. “I don’t want anyone Lasaraleen chose for me.”

“So what, you took me as a last ditch effort to escape a really great dude who would be really good for you?” Cor asked. He threw his hands up in the air. “I’m sorry, I am just really frustrated, and you always manage to just… You get on my last nerve.”

Her frown got bigger and she took a step forward into his space.

Cor flinched and looked away.

“You are a good guy.” Aravis gripped his arm and searched his face intently. “And the fact that you’re helping me out with this is proving it. And Alan, he’s nice, but he’s so… so boring.” She sighed. “Please, just calm down. Okay?”

Cor shut his eyes for a moment, willing his heart to slow down. “Fine,” he said. “But I’d really love to leave this horrible party.” 

Aravis glanced behind her at all the people milling around and smiled. “Okay,” she whispered.

“Really?” he asked, grinning suddenly. “We can do that?”

“Sure.” Aravis raised an eyebrow and grabbed his hand. “It’ll be fun.”

“Okay.” Cor looked around covertly and pulled on her hand. “Lasaraleen is coming this way. We’ll have to be quick and quiet.”

“Alright,” Aravis said. “Let’s do this!”

They ran out laughing softly.

\---

Cor sat on one side of the bed and watched Aravis run around, getting ready for bed. He smiled softly and went back to reading his book.

Aravis sat down on the bed and smiled at him.

Cor put his book down and looked at her, his eyebrows raised.

“Thanks for running out of there with me,” Aravis said quietly. 

“Thanks for running out of there with me.” Cor grinned. “It was terrible.”

“It really was, wasn’t it?” she said. “Why did you think it was so terrible, though? You seemed to be having fun with Alan.”

“”Yeah, he was alright.” Cor shrugged. “I mean, he was fun to talk to, and really nice.” He hesitated, wincing inwardly at what he was about to say— “Can you tell me again why you wouldn’t want to go out with him?”

“He’s just so boring,” Aravis sighed, crawling under the covers and lying down. “I would never want to date him. He’s perfect for me, and Lasaraleen says he completes me or whatever, but that’s boring.” She glanced up at Cor. “Don’t you agree?”

“About what?”

“That someone who completes you is boring. That’s not a relationship. I wouldn’t really have to work to make it work out with him, you know? Boring.” She huffed a sigh and nudged Cor’s arm. “You know?”

“Yeah,” Cor said softly. “Yeah. I get it.” He smiled at her before lying down next to her. 

There was silence for a few minutes.

“Aravis?” Cor whispered.

“Hm,” he heard Aravis groan.

“I didn’t really like talking with Alan, either.”

“Why?” Aravis asked quietly.

“He was nice, yeah, but kind of, well, kind of like a plastic person. You know what I mean? Plastic and a cookie cutter person, and just, I, I don’t really know what I’m saying anymore, but I just… I guess…” Cor sighed and closed his eyes. “I guess what I’m trying to say that I don’t really like him because he’s perfect for you, and that frustrates me because, well, I guess I kind of want to be perfect for you.” He sighed before opening his eyes wide and waiting for Aravis’s response.

All he heard was faint shifting around before he felt Aravis’s arm reach around his waist.

He glanced at her and smiled a little to see she was fast asleep. He pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and fell fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long! life got in the way. but i'll only do one more chapter after this, so at least the story's coming to a close! please review if you read; it really makes my day!

**Author's Note:**

> a birthday present from me to you <3


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